A jury will no longer be needed, after a Lethbridge man, who was supposed to go to trial over the next ten days on multiple charges, entered a surprise guilty plea on Wednesday (Feb. 19).
Sixteen people were chosen as potential jurors on Tuesday (Feb. 18) to hear evidence in the case against Gary Lippa, 39. Instead, he pleaded guilty to six charges on the second day of his trial. Those charges include making/distributing or publishing child pornography, child luring and sexual assault, according to Global News Lethbridge.
Lippa was supposed to go to trial by judge and jury in Lethbridge Court of Queen’s Bench, and has now re-elected for trial by judge alone.
According to ALERT, Lippa was engaging in explicit conversations with a young girl online in 2017. He then made deceptive arrangements to meet up with the girl, enticed her away from her caregivers and sexually assaulted her.
Lippa will be back in a Lethbridge courtroom on Thursday (Feb. 20), at which time an agreed statement of facts will be entered and a sentencing date is also expected to be set.